MAY we through your pages appeal to any of your readers who might have photographs of the Northenden War Memorial taken from its dedication in May 1921 to the time the railings and gates were removed during the Second World War for their scrap value.

The Northenden Branch of the Royal British Legion is seeking to refurbish the Northenden War Memorial and we have already secured support from Manchester Airport's Community Fund, Manchester City Council's Neighbourhood Community Network Fund and have an offer of a grant from the Lottery funded War Memorials Trust.

The War Memorials Trust will not help with restoring the railings and gates because we can't show what they look like.

You can see a short stump of each railing post sticking up at the point they were sawn off sometime in the early part of the Second World War in the surrounding wall and the holes where the gateposts were are still there but we've come across a problem.

Despite the evidence that shows that the railings and gates were there, without a photograph to show what the railings and gates looked like, we can't get financial support to get them restored.

We have to be able to show how much it will cost to replace the railings and gates and without evidence we can't show how much it will cost.

We've looked through the archives in Manchester Library so now we ask if any of your readers has a photograph showing the Northenden War Memorial, railings, gates and all.

If you can help, please contact Stephen Morrison, secretary, Northenden Branch, the Royal British Legion on (0161) 376 2867 or by e-mail on rblnorthenden@aol.com.

Stephen Morrison, Brooklands. We Will Remember Them.